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Masked men threaten to kill woman in her own home
Aug 27, 2010
MASKED men have burst into a house and threatened to kill a woman before making off with cash, jewellery and her Land Rover car.The incident happened sometime after 10pm on Thursday night as the 50-year-old victim was alone in the property in High Etherley. The trio, armed with baseball bats and wearing balaclavas, entered through a rear door and made threats to the victim, saying they would kill both her and her dog if she did not comply.
They demanded to know where she kept her valuables and money, and the terrified victim handed over a purse which contained a relatively small sum of cash. They then locked her in a cupboard before searching the premises, during which they found the keys to her LandRover Freelander vehicle.
After some time the woman heard the men drive off and managed to get out from the cupboard. She then found her way to a nearby house from where the alarm was raised.
So far the silver Freelander, registration ND07 VLF has not been found and police are asking anyone who might have seen this car on the roads to contact them.
Det Insp Simon Orton said at this stage it was not clear exactly what items had been stolen from the house.
He said: "From comments made by the gang, it was clear they had personal knowledge of the premises and the occupant. I have no doubt they deliberately targeted this house and that their threats were genuine.
"We have had crime scene investigators at the property searching for clues and I would urge anyone who was in the area on Thursday night to come forward if they saw or heard anything suspicious."
Police investigations are ongoing into a pair of similar aggravated burglaries where intruders entered the property and made threats against the occupants. The first was back in April, at the Roddymoor home of racehorse trainer Howard Johnson and his wife, Sue while the other happened last month at a large, detached bungalow on the outskirts of Fishburn.
Det Insp Orton said that while at this stage there was no firm evidence to link the incident last night to either of the two previous burglaries, he was keeping an open mind.
Anyone with information is urged to contact CID on the non-emergency number 0345 6060 365 or the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.